


The Atomic Weight Of Gold

by Scylla87



Series: Bingo 2019 [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: DCTV Bingo 2019, F/M, Heist/Job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-15 02:46:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18065105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scylla87/pseuds/Scylla87
Summary: Lisa is on a mission to steal a nearly priceless painting up for auction... until she meets the owner and finds out what it is for.





	The Atomic Weight Of Gold

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a random idea that I've had. I always wanted to write a Ray/Lisa story, and this is just what came out. I am considering writing a follow up to this if anyone would be interested in that.

The Atomic Weight of Gold:

The gallery was packed as Lisa wound her way through the crowd. She tried to take a deep breath and calm the nervousness that had seized her. Everything was going according to plan, she reminded herself. All the people would help with the distraction. The more people, the more chaos when the smoke bombs went off. Yet, the knot in her chest remained. It had been months working on this plan, ever since she had caught wind that someone was selling a genuine Jackson Pollock, but now that she was here, she could see a million ways in which this could go wrong. If only Lenny were here… She pushed the thought from her mind. She didn’t need her big brother to help her. She could do this on her own. Everything would be just fine as long as she stuck to the plan.

 

Finally, the crowd around her parted slightly, and she caught sight of the painting. Usually she would expect to see people milling around it, trying to get the best look before the auction started, but only one man stood near enough to see it clearly. Everyone else was giving him a wide berth. His back was to her, but the unease in the way everyone was looking at him told Lisa exactly who this man was. Raymond Palmer, the person selling this elusive painting. She suspected that she knew what they were all thinking. He was a pariah here, even at his own party. A rich boy who was rapidly losing his place amongst them. Taking a deep breath, she took the first step into the void between him and the crowd.

 

He glanced over at her as she stopped beside him and smiled kindly. Up close, he was a lot more attractive than the photos she had studied had led her to believe, but she knew better than to let him distract her from her mission. He was a mark, nothing more. Coming face to face with him was not a part of the plan, and she struggled to find something to say. “I hear that you’re the one selling the painting,” she said carefully.

 

“You interested?” he asked, a sudden sadness in his eyes she really could have lived without having ever seen.

 

“I might be,” she replied, pushing the thought from her mind. What did she care if he was having to liquidate his fortune? She’d never felt much sympathy for fallen billionaires before, and she didn’t see why she should start now. Even as everything was falling down around him, all he appeared to care about was his fortune. He probably deserved what he got. She cleared her throat and considered what she could say that wouldn’t show her true feelings about him. “I admit, I don’t know why you would be willing to part with such a beautiful piece,” she said in her best attempt at flirting.

 

The sad look in his eyes sharpened, and he glanced at the painting with regret. “It holds too many bad memories to keep.” She was quiet long enough that he found it necessary to explain further. “It was Anna’s, my fiancée. She died recently, during the siege in Starling.”

 

The explanation was like a punch to the gut. She had assumed, like everyone else that the sale of this painting was due to a need to liquidate some of his assets due to money troubles. Apparently not. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she muttered, unsure what she was supposed to say.

 

He nodded slightly in thanks. Surely this was what he had been dealing with ever since her death, everyone suddenly not knowing how to talk to him. “A lot of people lost their lives during the siege. I thought that this might be a way to help some of the families. The sale of this painting might do a lot of good to those that are struggling.”

 

Lisa shifted uncomfortably. “You’re going to donate the money?” she heard herself asking.

 

“Of course,” he said with a sad smile. “I hardly need it, and there are a lot of people who will benefit from it more than I ever could.”

 

She cleared her throat, finding it hard to speak. “That’s very generous of you.”

 

The praise seemed to make him uncomfortable. He glanced back at the crowd. “I should…” he began.

 

“Of course,” she replied. “Go greet your guests. It was nice to meet you.”

 

He nodded to her and again and left her alone at the painting, unsure what she was supposed to do. It was one thing to steal the painting when she thought the proceeds of the sale were just going to line some rich guy’s pockets or pay lawyers to get him out of some kind of scrape that a normal person would go to prison for. She didn’t think that she could steal from people who were struggling, people who had already lost so much. But she wasn’t in this alone. She had people to answer to, and no idea what she was going to do.


End file.
